TE-HO-RA-GWA-NE-GEN, 


ALIAS 


THOMAS  WILLIAMS, 


CHIEF    OF    THE    CAUGHNAWAGA    TRIBE    OF 
IXDIANS    IN    CANADA. 


REV.  ELEAZER/ WILLIAMS, 


Reputed  sou  of  Thomas  Williams,  aud  by  many  believed  to  be  Louis  XVII, 

sou  of  the  last  rei^nin^  monarch  of  Frauce  previous 

to  the  Kevolution  of  178'.'. 


ALBANY,  N.  Y.: 
J.  MUNSELL,  78  STATE  STREET. 

1859. 


y 


LIFE 


OP 


TE-HO-RA-GWA-NE-GEN, 

ALIAS 

THOMAS  WILLIAMS, 

A 

CHIEF    OF    THE    CAUGHNAWAGA    TRIBE    OF 
INDIANS    IN    CANADA. 

BY  THE 

REV.  ELEAZER  WILLIAMS, 

Reputed  son  of  Thomas  Williams,  and  by  many  believed  to  be  Louis  XVII, 

son  of  the  last  reigning  monarch  of  France  previous 

to  the  Revolution  of  1789. 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. : 

J.  MUNSELL,  78  STATE  STREET. 
1859. 


ZOO  COPIES  PRINTED. 

No. 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  the  summer  of  1852,  the  under 
signed,  while  preparing  for  publication 
a  History  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Frank 
lin  counties,  N.  Y.,  applied  to  the  Eev. 
Eleazer  Williams,  who  was  residing 
upon  the  Indian  Eeservation  of  St. 
Eegis,  for  such  facts  as  he  might  be 
able  to  furnish  concerning  the  history 
of  these  people  and  of  his  own  family, 
who  were  known  to  be  descendants  of 
a  captive  daughter  of  the  Eev.  John 
Williams  of  Deerfield. 


£90 


ANTHROP. 
LIBRARY 


4  TEHORAGWANEGEN. 

A  few  weeks  after,  this  gentleman 
sent,  with  other  papers,  a  manuscript 
narrative  of  the  life  of  Thomas  William  s7 
with  full  permission  to  make  such  use 
of  them  as  might  be  deemed  proper; 
but  expressing  a  wish  that,  if  pub 
lished,  the  language  should  be  slightly 
amended,  and  grammatical  errors  cor 
rected,  as  the  papers  had  been  hastily 
prepared  and  time  had  not  been  found 
to  give  them  the  necessary  revision 
for  the  public  eye. 

Believing  that  this  permission  justi 
fied  the  present  use  of  these  papers, 
the  undersigned  has  copied  them  with 
the  sole  view  of  correcting  the  slight 
irregularities  in  the  style,  or  the  uln- 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

dian  idioms  "  as  the  author  termed 
them,  which  they  contained  ;  but  in 
so  doing  has  preserved  the  original 
meaning  in  all  cases,  and  has  neither 
added,  omitted  or  corrected,  except  in 
the  way  of  notes. 

The  strange  romance  that  has  been 
woven  into  the  history  of  Eleazer 
Williams,  and  the  numerous  corrobo 
rating  circumstances  which  have  been 
adduced  to  sustain  the  theory  that 
he  is  the  son  of  Louis  XVI,  render 
everything  connected  with  the  parent 
age,  education  and  life  of  this  person 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  unpre 
judiced  seeker  after  truth.  It  is  not 
certain  that  these  pages  will  add  any 


6  TEIIORAGWANEGEN. 

thing  to  what  has  been  previously 
written  concerning  him,  further  than 
as  they  indicate  the  character  of  the 
man  under  whose  protection  he  was 
reared  to  manhood,  and  the  circum 
stances  in  which  his  early  habits  and 
associations  were  formed. 

To  the  inhabitants  of  the  section  in 
which  Mr.  Williams  resided,  the  story 
of  his  noble  birth  was  received  with 
very  general  distrust;  and  with  but 
few  exceptions,  it  was  regarded  as  an 
artful  invention  of  some  ingenious 
dealer  in  romance.  This  fact  can  not 
be  received  as  evidence  in  the  case, 
since  but  few,  if  any,  who  knew  him 
personally,  could  claim  acquaintance  in 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

his  early  youth.  At  the  time  of  his 
alleged  introduction  into  the  family  of 
Thomas  Williams,  the  whole  of  North 
ern  New  York  was  an  unbroken  wild 
erness,  and  there  is  not  probably  a 
single  person  living  in  the  county 
where  Mr.  Williams  resided,  who  has 
had  any  personal  knowledge  of  it 
earlier  than  the  beginning  of  this 
century.  Any  opinion  they  may  have 
formed  concerning  the  personal  history 
of  Eleazer  Williams  must  therefore 
have  been  derived  from  secondary  and 
uncertain  authority,  and  should  be  re 
ceived  writh  suitable  allowance  for  the 
errors  it  might  possibly  involve. 
Aside  from  the  principle  of  human 


8  TEHORAGWANEGEN. 

nature  which  inclines  us  to  undervalue 
the  fame  that  may  attach  to  those 
with  whom  we  are  personally  ac 
quainted,  and  which  is  so  forcibly  im 
plied  in  the  statement  of  scripture, 
that  "  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor, 
save  in  his  own  country,"  another 
cause  existed,  which  may  have  had  its 
influence  in  determining  the  local 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  reality  of 
the  reputed  identity. 

While  we  would  touch  lightly  upon 
the  faults  of  the  dead,  and  would  fain 
allow  the  grave  to  close  over  whatever 
of  error  in  education  or  habit  there 
may  have  been  in  the  living,  it  can  not 
be  denied  that  many  persons  who  have 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

formed  and  expressed  opinions  upon 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  sub- 
jedt  of  these  remarks,  in  the  locality 
where  he  resided,  had  at  some  period 
of  their  lives  sustained  the  relation  of 
creditors.  How  far  this  circumstance 
might  bias  opinion,  is  left  to  the  deci 
sion  of  the  mental  philosopher;  to 
what  extent  this  trait,  if  admitted  in 
the  full  degree,  and  conceded  as  here 
ditary,  would  disfavor  the  theory  of 
descent  from  the  Bourbon  family,  is 
referred  to  the  historian  for  settlement. 
The  acquaintance  of  the  editor  of 
these  pages  with  Mr.  Williams,  con 
tinued  from  the  time  above  mentioned 

to  a  few  months  previous  to  his  death, 

2 


10  TEHORAGWANEGEN. 

which  occurred  at  Hogansburgh,  N.  Y., 
on  the  28th  August,  1858.  The  im 
pression  made  during  this  intercourse 
was,  that  he  possessed  a  kind  and  gen 
erous  heart,  an  unusually  large  fund  of 
general  information  concerning  Ameri 
can  history,  and  the  character  of  pro 
minent  individuals  who  have  figured 
in  public  life,  a  retentive  memory  of 
events  during  and  subsequent  to  the 
last  war  with  Great  Britain,  an  acute 
perception  of  motive  and  character  in 
those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in 
contact,  and  a  desire  for  public  noto 
riety.  It  was  evident  that  he  dwelt 
upon  the  romantic  story  with  plea 
sure,  and  that  allusions  to  the  subject, 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

with  complimentary  appellations  of 
royalty,  were  received  with  satisfac 
tion. 

However  the  story  of  his  titled  an 
cestry,  suffering,  and  sequestration, 
may  have  originated,  it  is  believed  no 
person  intimately  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Williams  will  deny,  that  he  possessed 
an  ingenious  faculty  for  collating  the 
plausible  coincidences  which  make  up 
the  warp  and  woof  of  the  narrative, 
and  that  few  who  heard  from  his  own 
lips  the  various  incidents  which  tended 
to  confirm  the  theory,  could  withstand 
the  conviction  that  the  whole  chain  of 
evidence  was  extremely  like  truth. 

It    is   a   fact   of   public   notoriety, 


12  TEHORAGWANEGEN. 

in  the  locality  where  he  lived,  that 
Mr.  Williams  was  regarded  with  dis 
trust  and  apprehension  by  those  who 
professed  the  religion  of  his  father, 
and  that  efforts  have  been  uniformly 
made,  in  speaking  of  him,  to  disparage 
the  pretensions  which  have  been  set 
up  in  his  behalf. 

His  influence  with  the  St.  Eegis 
Indians  was  chiefly  limited  to  the 
Protestant  portion,  who  form  a  very 
small  minority ;  and,  for  this  cause, 
few  opportunities  occurred  in  that 
place  for  the  exercise  of  the  functions 
of  a  clergyman  among  the  people  with 
whom  he  had  been  associated  the 
greater  part  of  his  life. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

For  a  few  years  before  his  death  he 
resided  at  Hogansburgh,  mostly  alone, 
near  the  edge  of  a  grove,  in  a  neat 
cottage  erected  by  friends  subsequent 
to  the  publications  which  excited  so 
general  an  interest  in  1853.  His 
habits  of  domestic  economy  were  such 
as  might,  under  the  circumstances,  be 
alike  expected  in  one  reared  as  a 
prince  or  a  savage ;  and  his  household 
presented  an  aspect  of  cheerless  deso 
lation,  without  a  mitigating  ray  of 
comfort,  or  a  genial  spark  of  home- 
light.  His  neatly  finished  rooms  had 
neither  carpets,  curtains  nor  furniture, 
save  a  scanty  supply  of  broken  chairs 
and  invalid  tables ;  boxes  filled  with 


14  TEHORAGWANEGEN. 

books,  the  gift  of  friends,  lay  stowed 
away  in  corners  ;  Ms  dining  table,  un 
moved  from  week  to  week,  and  covered 
with  the  broken  remains  of  former 
repasts,  and  his  pantry  and  sleeping 
room  disordered  and  filthy,  left  upon 
the  visitor  an  oppressive  feeling  of 
homeless  solitude  that  it  was  impos 
sible  to  efface  from  the  memory. 

FRANKLIN  B.  HOUGH. 
ALBANY,  May  10,  1859. 


TEHORAGWANEGEN. 


Thomas  Williams,  alias  Tehoragwa- 
negen,  an  Iroquois  chief  warrior,  was 
born  about  1758  or  9,  and  was  the 
third  in  descent  from  the  Eev.  John 
Williams  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  who,  with 
his  family  and  several  parishioners, 
was  captured  by  a  party  of  three  hun 
dred  French  and  Indians,  on  the  night 
of  February  28,  1704.* 

*  History  fixes  the  date  of  this  attack  as  the 
night  of  Feb.  29,  by  upwards  of  340  Indians, 
under  Major  Hertel  de  Eouville. 


1 6  TEHORAG  WANEGEN, 

A  part  of  the  assailants  broke  into 
the  house  of  Mr.  Williams,  who,  as  he 
was  awakened  from  sleep,  snatched 
his  pistol  and  presented  it  to  the 
breast  of  the  first  Indian  that  ap 
proached  ;  but  it  missed  fire.  The 
savages  seized  and  bound  him.  Two 
of  his  children,  and  a  negro  woman  of 
his  family,  were  taken  to  the  door  and 
murdered,  and  his  wife  (the  only 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Eleazer  Mather 
of  Northampton),  and  all  his  children, 
except  his  eldest  son,  were,  with  him 
self,  compelled  immediately  to  begin 
their  march  towards  Canada. 

In  wading  a  small  river,  on  the 
second  day,  Mrs.  W.,  who  had  scarcely 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  17 

recovered  from  a  late  confinement,  fell 
down,  and  was  soon  after  dispatched 
with  a  hatchet  by  one  of  the  Abena- 
quis  or  St.  Frai^ois  tribe.  At  length, 
after  witnessing  the  most  agonizing 
scenes,  during  a  journey  of  three  hun 
dred  miles,  they  arrived  in  Canada. 
Upon  his  return,  he  was  unable  to 
bring  one  of  his  daughters  (Eunice) 
with  him.  She  became  assimilated 
with  the  Indians,  and  afterwards,  by 
instigation  of  some  of  the  Jesuits, 
married  a  young  chief  by  the  name  of 
De  Eoguers,  by  whom  she  had  three 
children,  Catharine,  Mary  and  John. 

Mary  was  the  mother  of  Thomas  ; 
she  dying  when  he  was  fifteen  months 


18  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

old,  his  aunt  Catharine  took  charge  of 
the  orphan  child,  by  whom  she  was 
ever  regarded  as  his  mother.  Being 
born  and  reared  among  the  Indians, 
he  of  course  imbibed  the  Indian  habits, 
customs  and  manners.  He  was  a 
sprightly  and  active  boy,  and  was 
early  instructed  in  the  faith  and  dog 
mas  of  the  Komish  church.  His  af 
fectionate  aunt  reared  him  with  the 
greatest  tenderness.  Although  mar 
ried  to  a  noted  chief  (X.  Eice),  she 
had  no  heir,  and  he  therefore  had  no 
competitor  in  the  family  circle,  and 
was  treated  by  his  foster  parents  as 
their  only  child. 

In  1772,  the  Eev.  Levi  Frisbie  was 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  19 

sent  as  a  missionary  into  Canada,  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Wheelock  of  Dartmouth 
College,  and  visited  Caughnawaga, 
where  he  took  particular  notice  of 
Thomas,  with  whose  descent  and  fam 
ily  connection  in  New  England  he  was 
familiar.  After  much  negotiation,  he 
finally  obtained  the  consent  of  his 
adopted  parents  to  take  him  to  Hano 
ver,  and  place  him  in  the  Moore  Char 
ity  School,  connected  with  the  college 
above  named.  In  the  fulfillment  of 
his  instructions  Mr.  Frisbie  proceeded 
to  visit  the  Indians  at  the  Lake  of 
Two  Mountains,  and  during  his  ab 
sence  Thomas  was  attacked  with  the 
small-pox,  which  prevented  his  accom- 


20  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

panying  him  on  his  return ;  an  occur 
rence  greatly  regretted  by  the  youth. 

This  adopted  father  was  skilled  in 
the  chase,  and  by  following  him  on  his 
journeys  the  youth  became  very  fond 
of  the  forest,  and  of  watching  its  wild 
inhabitants.     Their  hunting  grounds 
were  near  Crown  Point,  Lake  George, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Edward. 
After  his  marriage  he  was  often  absent 
from  his  village,  from  one  to  two  or 
three  years,  living  upon  the  best  that 
the  forest  afforded,  and  earning  suffi 
cient  to  obtain  by  exchange  clothing 
and  food  for  his  family. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution 
ary  war,    although    then    but    about 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  21 

eighteen  years  of  age,  he  accompanied 
the  warriors  of  his  tribe  upon  various 
expeditions  against  the  inhabitants  of 
the  northern  frontiers  of  the  American 
colonies.  It  has  been  said  that  he 
was  secretly  instructed  by  his  grand 
mother  .Eunice,  to  follow  the  Indian 
detachments,  with  the  view  of  pre 
venting,  if  possible,  the  massacre  of 
feeble  and  defenceless  women  and 
children ;  and  on  various  occasions  he 
exerted  himself  to  excite  feelings  of 
humanity  and  kindness  towards  the 
Americans  who  fell  into  their  hands. 

In  October,  1776,  he  headed  his 
band  when  the  armed  vessels  of  the 
British  and  Americans  came  to  action 


22  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

opposite  Valcour's  Island,  near  Platts- 
burgh.  Thomas,  with  his  warriors, 
had  a  full  view  of  the  battle,  and  he 
was  much  animated  at  the  bravery  of 
the  Americans,  and  exclaimed,  "  These 
brave  Americans  will  have  the  liberty 
they  want!" 

In  1777  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  a  war  chief  of  his  band,  which 
gave  him  greater  power  and  influence. 
As  he  was  brave  and  energetic  in  his 
movements,  he  soon  came  to  be  beloved 
by  his  brother  warriors,  and  highly 
respected  by  the  British  officers,  es 
pecially  by  Major  Carle  ton,  and  Cap 
tains  Horton  and  Eoss,  who  were 
his  friends  during  the  war.  In  the 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  23 

spring  of  this  year,  when  called  upon 
to  prepare  himself  and  his  warriors  to 
cooperate  with  General  Burgoyne's 
army,  then  assembling  at  St.  Johns 
and  the  Isle  Aux  JSToix,  he  appeared 
to  be  in  great  despondency.  His 
friends  assigned  various  reasons  for 
this,  but  knowing  as  he  did  that  Gen. 
Burgoyne  had  a  large  army  under  his 
command,  and  that  resistance  would 
be  made  by  the  Americans  against 
the  invasion  of  their  country,  in  which 
much  blood  would  be  shed,  and  many 
valuable  lives  lost,  the  better  feelings 
of  humanity  were  awakened  in  his 
breast,  and  sadness  appeared  in  his 
countenance.  He  however  resolved  to 


24  TEHORAGWANEGI N, 

serve  God  in  this  affair,  and  to  deal 
equally  with  his  fellow-man. 

At  Cumberland  Head  he  and  his 
corps  joined  the  royal  army,  where  he 
met  his  friends  Captains  Horton  and 
Eoss.  In  the  retreat  of  the  Americans 
from  Ticonderoga,  he  and  his  Indians 
were  among  others  ordered  to  pursue 
them ;  but  discovering  the  course  they 
had  taken,  he  took  his  route  more  to 
the  left,  under  the  pretence  of  falling 
upon  their  flank,  but  the  circuit  was 
too  great  to  allow  them  to  take  part 
in  the  action  between  Colonel  Warner 
and  General  Frazer.  The  object  in 
view  by  the  Indian  captain  was  un 
doubtedly  gained. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  25 

In  August,  General  Burgoyne  de 
tached  Col.  Baum  with  five  hundred 
men,  and  one  hundred  Indians,  under 
the  command  of  Thomas ;  and  on  the 
sixteenth  the  former  was  attacked  at 
Bennington,  by  General  Stark.  Tho 
mas  arrived  with  his  Indian  warriors 
soon  after  the  action  had  commenced, 
and  his  sagacious  eye  immediately  dis 
covered  that  the  Hessian  colonel  would 
be  defeated,  and  he  accordingly  took 
precaution  not  to  be  surrounded  by 
the  Americans,  and  held  them  in  the 
woods,  where  they  kept  up  a  scatter 
ing  fire  for  a  time,  but  at  too  great  a 
distance  to  be  effectual.  A  party  of  the 

Americans  having  taken  a  secret  path 
4 


26  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

gained  their  rear,  and  opened  upon 
the  Indians  a  heavy  fire,  which  caused 
them  to  retreat  in  great  confusion 
without  further  resistance,  as  their 
white  allies  had  by  this  time  ceased  to 
fire.  Four  or  five  of  the  Indians  were 
killed  and  several  of  their  party  slight 
ly  wounded,  among  whom  was  Captain 
De  Loromie,  an  Indian  agent,  and  an 
officer  in  the  Indian  department  in 
the  British  service,  who  acted  as  an 
interpreter.  Thomas  met  Col.  Brey- 
man  as  he  was  advancing  to  sustain 
Colonel  Baum,  but  would  not  consent 
to  turn  back  with  him.  "  We  are  de 
feated,'7  said  he,  "  and  it  is  of  no  use 
to  meet  with  superior  numbers,  and  if 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  27 

you  proceed  you  will  share  the  same 
fate."  De  Loromie  rather  joined  in 
this  advice,  which  was  received  by 
Colonel  Breyman  in  a  most  ungracious 
manner,  and  an  angry  dispute  arose 
between  the  young  chief-warrior  and 
the  colonel,  which  was  finally  settled 
by  the  interference  of  the  officers,  and 
the  advancing  party  retraced  their 
steps. 

It  may  be  proper  to  here  state,  that 
the  murder  of  Miss  Jane  McCrea,  near 
Fort  Edward,  was  regarded  with  strong 
disapprobation  by  Thomas.  Captain 
Jones  once  applied  to  him  for  assist 
ance  in  bringing  the  young  lady  within 
the  British  lines,  but  he  declined  to 


28  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

undertake  so  delicate  and  dangerous 
an  enterprise,  and  replied :  "  You 
have  come  to  conquer  the  country  ;  if 
you  succeed  you  will  have  your  white 
squaw :  she  is  now  safe,  and  to  attempt 
to  take  her  by  force  by  our  Indians 
may  endanger  her  life,  as  there  may 
be  a  skirmish  in  so  doing ;  so  she  had 
better  remain  where  she  now  is.77  A 
few  days  after  this,  Captain  Jones  ap 
plied  to  Captain  Langlad,  who  had 
charge  of  the  western  tribes,  consisting 
of  Ottawas,  Chippeways,  Menoininies, 
and  Winnebagos,  and  the  latter  were 
employed  to  bring  Miss  McCrea  into  the 
camp.  Two  chiefs  of  different  bands 
were  employed  in  this  service,  each 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  29 

ignorant  of  the  object  of  the  other  in 
the  enterprise.  One  of  these  had  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  the  young  lady  safely 
into  their  hands,  when  the  other  party 
coming  up  found  the  object  of  their 
pursuit  already  obtained,  and  their 
head  warrior  demanded  of  the  other 
party  to  give  her  up  to  him  and  his 
friends,  as  they  had  been  sent  by 
Captain  Jones  to  bring  her  in.  The 
former  replied,  "  We  are  on  a  similar 
errand,  and  the  biM  is  in  our  hands.'7 
Upon  which  a  contest  ensued  between 
the  leaders,  and  in  the  affray  the  lady 
was  murdered.  It  has  been  entirely 
through  mistake  that  some  late  writers 
have  attributed  this  murder  to  the  St. 


30  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

Kegis  Indians.*  Williams  urged  the 
Iroquois  chiefs,  then  in  camp,  to  wait 
upon  General  Burgoyne  and  beg  him 
to  put  an  end  to  this  inhuman  con 
duct,  and  the  British  general  rebuked 
the  western  tribes  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  were  offended,  and  soon  after 
deserted  from  the  army. 

He  w^as  present  at  the  battles  of 
Saratoga,  on  the  19th  of  September 
and  7th  of  October,  and  on  the  night 
of  the  8th,  after  consulting  with  the 
other  chiefs,  they  left  the  encampment 

*  During  the  residence  of  the  Rev.  E.  "Wil 
liams  at  Green  Bay,  a  Winnebago  chief  related 
to  him  more  than  once  of  his  having  a  hand  in 
this  murder. — Note  by  the  Author. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  31 

at  about  two  o'clock,  and  took  up  their 
march  to  Lake  George.  His  humanity 
would  not  permit  him  to  leave  one 
sick  warrior,  and  all  were  brought 
away  on  litters,  and  carried  safely  to 
their  village. 

In  the  autumn  of  1778,  he  went,  at 
the  call  of  Colonel  Johnson,  wTith  a 
party  to  Oswego,  writh  the  view7  of  in 
vading  the  Mohawk  country ;  but  the 
design  was  given  up.  In  1779  he  ac 
companied  a  detachment  under  the 
command  of  his  friend  Captain  Horton, 
as  far  as  White  Eiver,  in  Vermont, 
where  they  ravaged  a  number  of  white 
settlements,  among  which  was  Royal- 
ton,  and  took  a  number  of  prisoners. 


32  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

His  influence  was  exerted  to  have 
these  treated  with  humanity,  and 
through  his  efforts  many  houses  and 
barns  were  saved,  two  females  were 
protected  from  abuse  at  the  hands  of 
three  St.  Fra^ois  Indians,  and  an 
aged  man  was  spared,  who  would  have 
been  killed  had  he  not  defended  him. 
Observing  this,  Captain  Horton  pleas 
antly  observed :  "  My  friend  I  am  not 
surprised  at  this ;  you  have  Bostonian 
blood  running  in  your  veins.77  He 
replied,  "  Yes,  and  I  glory  in  it,  as  it 
is  tinctured  with  humanity,  the  true 
spirit  of  Christianity." 

In   February,    1780,   he    headed   a 
party  of  Iroquois  and  St.  Fra^ois  In- 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  33 

dians,  under  Captain  Raynier  of  Que 
bec,  on  a  secret  mission  to  the  Penob- 
scot  river,  with  dispatches  from  Gov. 
Carleton  to  the  commandant  of  the  fort 
at  the  mouth  of  that  river.  This  wras 
a  fatiguing  service,  in  the  midst  of  a 
hard  winter,  and  was  performed  upon 
raquettes.*  They  passed  the  American 
guards  upon  pretence  of  belonging  to 
the  Penobscot  tribe,  and  Raynier,  en 
tering  the  fort  on  an  island  in  the  night, 
delivered  his  dispatches.  The  party 
returned  safely,  and  their  good  conduct 
was  applauded  by  the  governor.  Dur 
ing  their  stay  in  the  city,  they  received 

*  Snow-shoes. — ED. 

5 


34  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

large  presents  in  gold,  with  blankets, 
linen  of  a  fine  quality,  rifles,  kettles, 
knives,  silver  broaches  and  silver 
medals. 

After  remaining  seven  days  in  his 
village,  Thomas  was  again  called  upon 
to  head  his  band  in  an  expedition 
under  Sir  John  Johnson  to  the  Mohawk 
river,  and  this  was  the  last  of  his 
services  under  the  British  during  the 
revolution.  He  was  present  at  the 
attack  upon  the  dwelling  of  Colonel 
Vischer,  where  the  latter  was  scalped 
and  left  for  dead,  but  revived  and 
lived  many  years  afterwards.  His 
two  brothers  were  killed,  and  the 
house  was  burned.  Thomas  and  Col. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  35 

Louis  had  a  friendly  interview  with 
Colonel  Vischer  in  1795.  "  We  met 
once,"  said  the  brave  colonel,  "  as 
enemies;  but  Colonel  Vischer  still 
lives,  and  we  will  now  meet  over  his 
good  wine  and  brandy  as  friends,  for 
wre  are  commanded  from  above  to  for 
give  our  enemies."  His  friends  re 
sponded  with  Amen. 

The  Indians,  on  this  occasion,  re 
ceived  positive  orders  from  Sir  John 
to  burn  all  the  buildings  on  their 
route,  and  he  was  prevented  from  being 
as  humane  as  formerly,  and  the  ravages 
committed  upon  the  defenceless  inha 
bitants  under  the  eye  of  Sir  John  and 
with  his  encouragement,  produced  no 


36  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

good  feeling  on  the  part  of  Williams, 
who  disapproved  of  such  inhuman 
conduct  on  the  part  of  the  tories  and 
some  of  the  Indian  warriors. 

Sir  John,  from  this  period,  regarded 
him  with  jealousy,  but  Williams  stood 
so  high  in  the  esteem  of  Governor 
Carleton  and  the  officers  of  the  army, 
for  the  important  services  he  had  ren 
dered  to  government,  that  he  dared 
not  come  to  an  open  rupture.  He  was 
proud,  haughty,  selfish,  and  conten 
tious  to  a  shameful  degree,  and  was 
the  more  despised  by  the  Canadian 
Indians  from  his  partiality  to  the  re 
cently  emigrated  Mohawks,  his  former 
.  neighbors,  over  whom  his  father,  Sir 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  37 

"William,  had  acted  as  agent  for  nearly 
half  a  century.  The  hatred  engendered 
in  this  campaign  never  ceased  to  burn, 
and  influenced  the  conduct  of  Williams 
in  the  subsequent  war  between  Great 
Britain  and  America. 

From  this  period  he  appears  to  have 
followed  his  usual  vocation,  and  after 
the  peace  of  1783  he  began,  with  se 
veral  of  his  friends,  to  hunt  in  the 
vicinity  of  Crown  Point  and  Lake 
George.  He  often  visited  Albany  with 
his  peltries,  and  always  had  a  friendly 
intercourse  with  General  Schuyler, 
who  was  once  a  pupil  of  the  Kev.  Dr. 
Stephen  "Williams,  of  Longmeadow, 
Mass.,  the  brother  of  Eunice  the  grand 
mother  of  Thomas. 


38  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

In  1783,  after  having  hunted  a  great 
part  of  the  winter  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lake  George,  he  went  down  to  Albany 
with  his  friend  and  fellow  hunter  John 
Baptist  Toietakherontie,  with  whom, 
after  receiving  letters  of  recommenda 
tion  from  General  Schuyler  and  other 
gentlemen  in  Albany,  he  proceeded  to 
New  England  to  visit  his  relatives  for 
the  first  time.  He  arrived  at  Stock- 
bridge,  Mass.,  at  the  house  of  the  Eev. 
Dr.  West,*  where  he  happily  met  the 

*  Stephen  West,  of  Tolland,  Ct,  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1755,  was  licensed  to  preach 
about  the  beginning  of  1758,  and  was  ordained 
at  Stockbridge,  June  13,  1759.  He  continued 
to  preach  to  the  English  in  the  forenoon,  and 
the  Indians,  through  an  interpreter,  in  the  af- 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  39 

noted  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  mission 
ary  to  the  Oneida  Indians,  who  under 
stood  his  language  perfectly,  and  acted 
on  the  occasion  as  interpreter.  Here 
he  passed  two  days  in  a  most  agreeable 
manner  with  several  respectable  fami 
lies  who  claimed  to  be  his  kindred, 
and  with  strong  recommending  letters 
from  the  reverend  gentlemen  and 
others  of  the  place,  "  to  all  whom  it 
might  concern/7  they  continued  on 
their  route  to  Longmeadow,  the  place 
of  their  destination. 

ternoon  of  each  Sabbath  until  1775,  when  he 
relinquished  the  latter  to  Mr.  John  Sergeant, 
a  son  of  the  missionary.  He  died  in  1819,  aged 
84. — Holland's  Western  Massachusetts,  n,  587. 


40  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

His  object  was  to  visit  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Stephen  Williams,*  the  venerated 
brother  of  his  grandmother  Eunice ; 
but  on  his  arrival  he  found,  to  his  sor 
row  and  regret,  that  he  was  dead.  He 
died  on  the  third  of  June,  1782.  He 
had,  and  preserved,  letters  addressed 
to  him,  written  in  December  of  the 
preceding  year,  from  his  beloved  and 
unfortunate  sister  Eunice,  who  address- 

*  Stephen  "Williams  was  born  at  Deerfield 
May  14,  1693,  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1713, 
and  went  to  Longmeadow  in  Nov.,  1719.  He 
was  afterwards  a  chaplain  in  three  campaigns  in 
the  old  French  and  Indian  wars,  and  died,  ac 
cording  to  some  accounts,  June  10, 1782,  in  the 
66th  year  of  his  ministry,  and  the  90th  of  his 
age. — Holland's  Western  Massachusetts,  n,  78. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  41 

ing  him  in  most  affectionate  terms, 
said: 

"  My  beloved  brother,  once  in  cap 
tivity  with  me,  and  I  am  still  so  as 
you  may  consider  it,  but  I  am  free  in 
the  Lord.  We  are  now  both  very  old 
and  are  still  permitted  by  the  goodness 
of  God  to  live  in  the  land  of  the  living. 
This  may  be  the  last  time  you  may 
hear  from  me.  Oh,  pray  for  me  that  I 
may  be  prepared  for  death,  and  I  trust 
we  may  meet  in  Heaven  w^ith  all  our 
godly  relatives.77 

Her  brother,  as  it  was  believed,  was 
already  there,  waiting  for  her  to  enjoy 
with  him  the  full  fruition  of  God. 

From   this  period  Thomas  visited, 
6 


42  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

occasionally,  his  kind  relatives  in  New 
England,  till  1806.  After  the  removal 
of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Samuel  Williams  from 
his  professorship  in  Harvard  Univer 
sity  to  Eutland,  Vermont,  he  made  his 
house  one  of  his  stopping  places  on 
his  route.* 

This  reverend  gentleman  was  equi 
distant  with  Thomas  in  descent  from 
the  Reverend  John  Williams,  of  Deer- 
field,  who  was  taken  captive  in  1704, 
as  before  stated.  For  this  gentle 
man  he  had  a  peculiar  regard,  and  he 

*  Samuel  Williams  graduated  at  Harvard 
University  in  1740,  received  the  Master's  de 
gree  in  1785,  and  held  the  office  of  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  that 
institution  from  1780  to  1788. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  43 

often  said  that  Professor  Williams  was 
the  glory  of  the  Williams  family,  on 
account  of  his  learning.  Dr.  Williams, 
in  his  history  of  Vermont,*  has,  it  is 
said,  in  his  article  on  Indians,  made 
use  of  the  information  which  he  de 
rived  from  Thomas,  in  relation  to  their 
customs,  manners,  habits,  laws,  gov 
ernment  and  religion.  If  so,  it  may 
be  relied  upon  as  a  just  representation, 
coming,  as  it  did,  from  one  who  was 
well  acquainted  with  them. 

These  Indians  claimed  a  considerable 
amount  of  land  in  the  state  of  New 

*  Two  editions  of  this  work  have  been  pub 
lished.  The  first  was  in  1794,  in  one  volume, 
and  the  second  in  1809,  in  two  volumes. 


44  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

York,  which  they  felt  had  been  taken 
from  them  by  force,  and  contrary  to 
the  eternal  principles  of  justice  and 
equity,  and  this  became  a  subject  of 
much  discussion  among  them  at  St. 
Eegis  and  Caughnawaga.  None  of 
them  knew  how  to  set  up  their  claim, 
and  Colonel  Louis,  Thomas  Williams 
and  William  Gray,  were  in  1789  called 
upon  for  their  opinions  on  the  subject, 
which  was  left  in  their  hands  to  bring 
before  the  proper  authorities,  in  New 
York. 

A  long  negotiation  ensued,  and  the 
three  deputies  made  many  tedious 
journeys  to  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Albany,  during  seven  years,  before 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  45 

this  perplexing  affair  was  settled  by 
the  state,  in  a  treaty  with  the  Seven 
Nations  of  Canada,  held  at  New  York 
in  June,  1796.  The  land  bordering  on 
the  national  boundary  line  of  45  de 
grees,  from  Salmon  river  to  Massena, 
which  the  state  repurchased  from 
Macomb,  Constable,  and  others,  was 
awarded  to  the  St.  Kegis  Indians.* 

*  A  tract  equal  to  six  miles  square,  near  St. 
Regis,  was  expressly  reserved  out  of  the  lands 
sold  to  Macomb,  and  only  a  tract  of  about  210 
acres  along  Grass  river,  consisting  of  natural 
meadows,  was  repurchased  from  the  proprietors 
by  the  state  for  the  use  of  the  Indians. 

The  St.  Regis  reservation  lies  in  the  town  of 
Bombay,  Franklin  county,  N".  Y.,  and  original 
ly  embraced  a  tract  equal  to  six  miles  square, 
the  meadows  above  mentioned,  a  mile  square 


46  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

The  personal  acquaintance  of  Tho 
mas  Williams  with  various  members 
of  the  state  government,  and  their 
knowledge  of  his  ancestry,  are  believed 
to  have  had  an  influence  in  obtaining 
a  favorable  result  in  the  negotiation. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  this,  from  causes 
to  be  presently  noticed,  his  heirs  have 
been  denied  a  share  in  the  lands  and 
annuities  enjoyed  by  the  American 
portion  of  the  tribe.  It  is  hoped  the 

on  Salmon  river,  at  the  present  village  of  Fort 
Covington,  and  a  mile  square  on  Grass  river  at 
the  lower  mills. 

By  successive  sales  these  reservations  have 
now  been  reduced  to  about  14,000  acres  of 
choice  land,  a  part  of  which  is  leased  to  whites 
for  a  term  of  years. —  Census  of  N.  F.,  1855,  p. 
517.— ED. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  47 

legislature  will  correct  this  wrong 
towards  those  who  have  labored  so 
faithfully  for  their  benefit.  In  the 
first  payment  at  Chazy,  in  1797,  only 
$100  was  applied  as  a  remuneration  to 
Thomas  Williams  for  the  money  and 
time  he  had  expended  during  several 
years  in  these  negotiations.  To  induce 
the  state  to  relinquish  this  tract,  the  In 
dian  negotiators  strongly  asserted  that 
it  was  in  part  for  the  benefit  of  the 
sixteen  Caughnawaga  volunteers  who 
entered  the  Continental  service  in  the 
Ee volution,  and  for  such  as  might 
hereafter  sustain  a  similar  relation. 
Notwithstanding  this  plausible  argu 
ment,  the  St.  Regis  Indians  afterwards 


48  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

claimed  the  whole  tract  as  belonging 
to  themselves  alone,  and  have  mani 
fested  an  ungenerous  feeling  towards 
those  who  were  instrumental  in  pro 
curing  the  tract  they  now  occupy,  and 
the  annuities,  amounting  to  over  two 
thousand  dollars,  that  they  enjoy.* 

*  The  Caughnawagas  shared  equally  with  the 
St.  Regis  Indians  in  the  annuities  stipulated  in 
the  treaty  of  1796,  until  the  war  of  1812.  A 
few  years  after,  through  the  influence  of  Mr, 
Peter  Sailley  of  Plattsburgh,  a  moiety  of  the 
annuity  was  restored  to  them,  with  the  express 
understanding  that  Thomas  Williams  should 
receive  $50  annually  from  their  portion,  as  he 
had  met  with  considerable  sacrifices  in  conse 
quence  of  the  war.  He  continued  to  receive 
this  until  1833,  when  they  entered  a  protest, 
and  he  was  not  paid. 

The  above  Caughnawagas  have  never  been 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  49 

This  ungenerous  and  selfish  feeling 
may  be  attributed  to  two  causes. 

First.  The  British  influence  is  still 
felt  by  a  portion  of  the  tribe,  and  the 
Indians  of  that  party  maintain  their 
relations  as  they  did  during  the  war, 
and  have  no  good  feeling  towards  the 
American  part  of  the  tribe.*  Second. 

parties  to  any  treaty  or  agreement  with  the 
state  since  1796  ;  and  the  other  villages,  repre 
senting  the  remaining  "  Seven  Nations  of  Ca 
nada,"  have  never  been  represented  in  any 
treaty  with  Few  York. 

History  will  scarcely  warrant  the  uncharitable 
allegation  of  the  author  in  relation  to  the  St. 
Regis  tribe. — ED. 

*  In  the  war  of  1812-15,  the  St.  Regis  Indians 
became  divided  in  their  attachment  to  the  two 
governments,  and  although  at  first  they  pro- 

7 


50  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

The  Eomish  religion,  to  which  most  of 
the  tribe  are  subject  has  a  tendency 
to  keep  them  in  an  unquiet  state,  and 
the  influence  of  its  priesthood,  who  are 
generally  tenacious  of  their  dogmas 

fessed  to  be  neutral,  numbers  from  both  parties 
went  off  and  joined  the  camps  of  the  opposing 
armies.  These  parties  have  continued  till  the 
present  time,  and  the  distinction  has  become 
hereditary  on  the  mother's  side.  The  British 
Indians  receive  no  share  of  the  rents  or  annui 
ties  paid  in  New  York,  and  the  Americans  none 
of  the  rents  or  presents  paid  in  Canada.  They 
however  reside  upon  either  side  of  the  national 
boundary  that  passes  through  their  village,  as 
convenience  dictates,  and  mingle  freely  in  the 
daily  transactions  of  life  in  perfect  harmony. 
There  are  about  530  American  and  640  British 
Indians,  who  receive  a  share  of  the  annuities 
and  presents  of  their  respective  governments. — 
ED. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  51 

and  ceremonies,  has  the  effect  of  keep 
ing  the  Indians  opposed  to  those  of 
different  sentiments.*  The  Protestant 
part  of  the  tribe  are  increasing,  and 
have  a  desire  to  educate  their  children, 
but  are  feeble  as  to  means,  and  it  is 

*  St.  Regis  was  founded  as  a  Catholic  mis 
sion,  and  has  for  nearly  a  century  been  the 
home  of  a  resident  missionary  of  that  denomi 
nation.  "With  the  exception  of  about  one  hun 
dred,  chiefly  Methodists,  these  Indians  are 
strongly  attached  to  the  Catholic  church,  and 
zealous  observers  of  its  requirements.  On  this 
account,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  had  the  con 
fidence  of  but  a  small  portion  of  the  tribe  among 
whom  he  had  been  so  long  a  resident.  He  was 
accustomed  to  attribute  much  of  the  opposition 
he  encountered,  to  the  hostility  arising  from  the 
two  causes  above  indicated,  and  especially  from 
the  latter. — ED. 


52  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

hoped  will  be  aided  by  Christian  phi 
lanthropists.* 

In  August,  1798,  Williams  was  call 
ed  upon  by  the  British  authorities  to 
head  a  party  on  a  secret  mission  on 
Lake  Champlain.  The  government  of 
Canada  had  been  disturbed  by  an  at 
tempt  to  surprise  and  take  Quebec  by 
some  French  revolutionists  headed  by 
one  McCler.  It  was  reported  that  a 
large  party  was  preparing  on  Lake 

*  At  the  time  when  the  above  was  written 
(1852)  the  author  was  endeavoring  to  establish 
a  school  among  the  Indians  upon  the  St.  Regis 
reservation,  but  the  enterprise  did  not  meet 
with  success,  and  was  soon  after  suspended.  A 
log  building  which  he  caused  to  be  erected  for 
his  school  was  turned  into  a  dwelling. — ED. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  53 

Champlain,  to  descend  the  St.  Law 
rence  to  Quebec  upon  rafts,  in  the 
guise  of  raftsmen,  and  when  a  consid 
erable  number  of  men  had  thus  as 
sembled  without  attracting  notice, 
they  were,  at  a  preconcerted  signal,  to 
attack  the  military  guard  by  night 
and  seize  the  fortress*  The  instruc 
tion  to  Williams  was,  to  appear  among 
the  parties  in  the  character  of  a  hunter, 
and  to  mingle  with  them  as  friends, 
and  to  ascertain  their  numbers  and 
intentions.  This  service  be  performed 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Canadian 
government.  The  leader  of  the  con 
spiracy  was  beheaded  and  quartered. 
In  January,  1800,  Williams  visited 


54  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

his  relatives  in  New  England,  and 
took  with  him  his  two  boys,  to  be 
educated  by  them,  as  they  had  before 
urged  him  to  do. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  state, 
that  of  "one  of  these  youths  (Eleazer) 
aged  about  fourteen  or  fifteen,  it  has 
been  doubted  whether  he  is  really  the 
son  of  Thomas  Williams.  It  is  sup 
posed  he  is  an  adopted  child  of  high 
descent,  who  in  the  destruction  of  the 
royal  family  in  the  French  revolution, 
was,  with  his  sister,  saved  from  the 
guillotine  of  the  revolutionists.  It  is 
a  mystery  yet  to  be  solved  whether 
he  is  the  son  of  Louis  XVI,  king  of 
France,  and  at  this  distant  period 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  55 

perhaps  it  will  never  be.  There  are, 
however,  many  circumstances  in  the 
history  of  this  unfortunate  youth  which 
go  to  prove  that  there  is  a  possibility 
of  its  being  true.  To  save  the  life  of 
the  youth,  as  well  as  his  rescuers  and 
other  friends,  from  the  bloody  hands 
of  the  anti-royalists,  a  profound  secresy 
was  necessarily  observed,  both  in  Eu 
rope  and  America,  by  those  who  were 
interested  in  his  preservation. " 

Hidden  things  are  yet  to  be  brought 
to  light.  This  is  one  of  the  "  Unfor 
tunate  youth  born  in  a  palace  and 
nourished  by  the  royal  queen,  yet 
transported  to  a  foreign  clime  and 
there  to  be  cherished  and  sustained 
by  an  Indian  warrior!" 


56  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

Iii  the  year  1801,  Thomas  headed  a 
hunting  party  of  Caughnawaga  Indians 
in  the  service  of  the  Northwest  Bay 
Company,  and  went  as  far  as  the  Red 
river,  arid  from  thence  towards  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  traversed  part 
of  the  grand  prairies.  The  view  of 
these  immense  prairies  in  the  spring 
season,  covered  with  numerous  herds 
of  buffaloes,  and  stretching  farther 
than  the  eye  could  reach,  and  of  the 
majestic  peaks  of  the  western  mount 
ains,  filled  his  mind  with  wronder,  ad 
miration  and  awe,  and  he  often  said, 
that  in  these  he  saw  the  mighty  works 
of  the  Great  Spirit  above,  and  was  led 
to  worship  him  as  the  only  supreme 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  57 

creator  and  upholder  of  all  things  ; 
that  him  only  would  he  serve,  and  to 
him  devote  his  whole  heart  and  obey 
his  blessed  will.  He  was  a  man  of 
few  words.  He  thought  and  meditated 
on  what  he  said,  and  what  he  uttered 
was  sincere. 

In  1804,  with  his  wife,  he  visited 
his  sons  in  Longmeadow,  where  they 
had  been  left  at  school,  and  was  highly 
pleased  with  the  improvement  they 
had  made  in  American  manners,  and 
their  progress  in  learning.  N.  Ely, 
Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  wealth,  who  had 
married  a  grand  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  S.  Williams,  formerly  minister  of 

the  parish,   took    a  deep  interest  in 

8 


58  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

the  education  of  the  youths,  and  par 
ticularly  in  endeavoring  to  instill  into 
their  minds  the  great  truths  of  reli 
gion.  But,  unfortunately,  John,  the 
younger  of  the  lads,  who  appeared  to 
be  the  mother's  favorite,  was  taken 
back  with  his  parents  to  Canada,  much 
against  the  wish  of  the  father,  and  to 
the  great  regret  and  sorrow  of  Eleazer, 
who  protested  in  the  strongest  terms 
against  being  separated  from  him. 
But  her  parish  priest  had  threatened 
to  excommunicate  her  from  the  church 
if  she  did  not  bring  the  boys  back  with 
her,  and  she  hoped  to  escape  his  cen 
sure  if  she  returned  with  one. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Nathan  Williams  of 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  59 

Tolland,  the  Eev.  Nathan  Strong  of 
Hartford,  the  Eev.  Dr.  McCluer  of  East 
Windsor,  the  Rev.  E.  S.  Storrs  and  N. 
Ely,  Esq.,  of  Longmeadow,  the  Eev. 
Dr.  Joseph  Lathrop  and  Justin  Ely, 
Esq.,  of  West  Springfield,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Howard  and  Dr.  William  Sheldon  of 
Springfield,  Gov.  Tnimbull  of  Connect 
icut,  and  C.  Strong  of  Massachusetts, 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
Eleazer,  and  succeeded  in  retaining 
him  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  his 
education. 

From  this  period  there  is  a  chasm 
in  the  historical  incidents  of  the  life 
of  Thomas  Williams,  till  the  declara 
tion  of  war  in  1812,  as  nothing  in  this 
f 

interval  occurred  worthy  of  note.     It 


60  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

was  the  wish  of  the  Americans  that 
the  Indians  should  remain  neutral  in 
this  as  in  the  former  war.  Humanity 
and  civilization  pleaded  in  favor  of  a 
principle  that  would  not  add  savage 
barbarity  to  the  evils  of  war;  but  un 
fortunately  the  policy  of  their  enemy 
was  different,  and  they  soon  learned 
that  the  British  had  leagued  them 
selves  with  the  ruthless  savages  of  the 
wilderness  and  the  domiciliated  native 
tribes  of  the  provinces ;  in  short,  that 
they  had  exhausted  every  resource  from 
the  warfare  of  the  tomahawk  and  the 
scalping-knife  to  the  latest  improve 
ments  of  modern  art,  which  they  were 

preparing  to  use  against  the  people  of 

* 

the  United  States. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  61 

The  first  act  in  which  the  allied 
Indians  and  British  signalized  them 
selves,  was  the  taking  of  the  fort  at 
Michilimackinac,  on  the  19th  of  July, 
1812,  at  which  several  Caughnawagas 
from  Lower  Canada  were  present. 

In  July,  Governor  Provost  of  Lower 
Canada  issued  a  proclamation  com 
manding  the  Indians  in  that  province 
to  take  up  arms  in  behalf  of  his  Bri 
tannic  Majesty,  and  this  order  was 
by  Sir  John  Johnson*  transmitted 
to  Williams,  but  indignantly  rejected. 

*  Sir  John  was  at  this  time  Superintendent 
General  and  Inspector  General  of  Indian  Affairs 
in  British  North  America,  retaining  that  office 
till  his  death.  He  died  at  Montreal  in  1830, 
aged  eighty-eight. — ED. 


62  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

Col.  De  Loromie,  Sub-Superintendent 
of  the  Indian  Department,  soon  after 
reported  him  and  others  at  Caughna- 
waga,  as  well  as  Col.  Louis  Cook  and 
others  at  St.  Kegis,  as  refractory. 

The  St.  Franfois  Indians,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  Lake  of  Two  Mountains, 
evinced  in  some  degree  the  same 
spirit ;  and  the  French  Canadians  on 
the  Island  of  Montreal  were  by  no 
means  inclined  to  take  up  arms  against 
the  Americans.  The  affair  at  La  Chine 
in  August,  in  which  fifteen  hundred  of 
these  people  skirmished  with  the  royal 
troops,  strongly  indicated  the  ill-will 
with  which  they  received  the  procla 
mation  of  the  Governor  General.  How 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  63 

far  Thomas  Williams  was  concerned 
in  this  affair  is  unknown.  He  was 
within  two  miles  of  the  place  where 
the  action  occurred. 

Such  was  the  timidity  or  treachery 
of  the  French  commander  upon  this 
occasion  that,  neglecting  to  seize  the 
king's  stores  and  arms  as  might  have 
been  done,  as  his  force  was  much  more 
formidable  than  that  which  opposed 
him,  he  ordered  his  forces  to  withdraw 
after  ten  minutes  firing.  His  order 
was  obeyed  with  reluctance  by  those 
in  the  front  line,  and  with  loud  mur 
murs  by  the  volunteers  in  the  rear, 
who  were  eager  to  be  brought  into 
action  with  the  English  troops,  and 


61  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

determined  to  evince  the  same  spirit 
that  was  evinced  by  those  of  their 
mother  country  under  Bonaparte, 

The  retreat  threw  them  into  dis 
order,  and  the  whole  body  quickly 
dispersed.  It  has  been  asserted,  from 
highly  respectable  sources,  that  if  the 
American  government  had  sent  two 
thousand  regular  troops  into  the  pro 
vince  at  this  particular  juncture,  the 
whole  of  Lower  Canada  must  have 
fallen  into  their  hands,  except  Quebec, 
as  the  French  population  would  have 
taken  up  arms  in  their  favor. 

In  August,  1812,  a  provisional  agree 
ment  was  entered  into  between  Gen. 
Dearborn  and  Adjutant  Gen.  Baynes, 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  65 

that  neither  party  should  act  offens 
ively  until  the  decision  of  the  Ameri 
can  government  could  be  obtained  on 
a  question  then  pending.  This  armis 
tice  was  grounded  upon  a  letter  from 
the  governor,  Sir  George  Provost,  to 
General  Dearborn,  suggesting  the  pro 
bability  of  a  general  suspension  of 
hostilities  in  consequence  of  a  suspen 
sion  or  repeal  of  the  British  orders  in 
council,  of  which  Mr.  Foster,  late 
minister  to  the  United  States,  had 
received  advices  on  his  arrival  at 
Halifax. 

The  American  government  consid 
ered  the  proposition  as  indirect,  and 
offered  no  security  for  its  observance, 
9 


66  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

and  the  cessation  of  hostilities  termin 
ated  on  the  8th  of  September. 

While  Adjutant  Gen.  Baynes  was  at 
the  head-quarters  of  Gen.  Dearborn, 
Lieut.  Col.  Eleazer  Williams  was  sent 
off  to  the  lines  near  Rouse's  Point, 
where  he  met,  according  to  previous 
agreement,  Sir  John  Johnson,  Super 
intendent  General  of  Indian  Affairs  in 
the  Canadas,  and  Williams  appeared 
in  the  same  capacity  on  the  American 
side,  for  the  northern  frontiers.  Their 
object  was  to  arrange  for  the  neutrality 
of  the  Indian  tribes ;  but  the  proposi 
tion  of  Gen.  Dearborn  was  respectfully 
declined  by  Sir  John,  and  finally  left 
to  the  decision  of  Sir  George  Provost. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  67 

In  relation  to  this  affair,  it  was 
remarked  by  Sir  John,  that  young 
Williams  argued  like  a  young  lion 
upon  the  subject;  that  he  not  only 
pleaded  upon  principles  of  humanity 
and  civilization,  but  of  religion,  which 
would  not  add  savage  barbarity  to  the 
other  evils  of  the  war.  "  Tour  king," 
said  he,  "  styles  himself  the  Defender  of 
the  Christian  Faith,  and  will  he  league 
himself  with  the  ruthless  savages  of 
the  wilderness,  wrhose  tender  mercies 
are  to  be  manifested  by  the  tomahawk 
and  the  scalping-knife  —  and  that  not 
only  upon  the  wrounded  and  captive 
of  the  American  soldiery,  but  upon 
defenceless  women  and  children  ?  Sir, 


68  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

I  have  too  exalted  an  opinion  of  British 
humanity,  and  of  the  principles  of  reli 
gion  by  which  the  English  nation  is 
governed,  to  admit  this  unholy  alli 
ance.  England  is  the  bulwark  of  the 
Protestant  religion !  Yes,  sir,  she  may 
well  glory  that  she  is  the  emporium  of 
Bible  and  Missionary  societies.  In  the 
midst  of  this  corrupt  age  and  bloody 
strife  among  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
she  is  sending  forth  the  word  giving 
life  to  the  dark  corners  of  the  earth, 
and  her  messengers  of  the  Cross  are 
proclaiming  *  Peace  on  earth,  and  good 
will  to  men.'  "* 

*  Judge  Moore  and  Col.  Mix  of  Champlain 
were  permitted  to  be  present  on  the  occasion, 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  69 

The  sole  object  of  young  Williams, 
it  would  appear,  at  this  period  of  the 
war,  was  to  save  the  St.  Regis  Indians, 
who  were  peculiarly  situated,  being  on 
the  line,  and,  as  it  were,  within  strik- 

and  reported  this  to  General  B.  Mooers  as  one 
of  the  most  interesting  scenes  which  fixed  their 
attention  at  the  commencement  of  the  war. 
There  was  a  great  contrast  between  the  nego 
tiators  in  their  appearance  and  dress.  Sir  John, 
aged  about  sixty-five,  and  Williams  twenty- 
three  or  four:  the  former  in  scarlet  and  gold 
lace  in  abundance,  with  high  military  hat  decked 
with  lace  and  feathers ;  and  with  his  broad 
sword  ;  while  the  young  American  was  dressed 
in  a  plain  frock  coat  and  round  hat,  with  his 
elegant  hanger  and  pocket  pistols.  But  with 
his  good  sense  and  powerful  and  humane  argu 
ments  Sir  John  had  enough  of  it.  After  a  good 
cheer  the  parties  separated. — Note  by  the  Author. 
ED. 


70  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

ing   distance  of  the    two  contending 
parties.* 

He  succeeded,  and  Sir  George  Pro 
vost  was  induced,  under  the  circum 
stances,  to  permit  the  neutral  party 
to  remain  in  peace  in  their  village. 

*  The  national  boundary,  as  surveyed  and 
marked  by  monuments,  passes  directly  through 
the  Indian  village  at  St.  Regis.  The  tribe  is 
still  divided  into  British  and  American  parties, 
without  reference  to  present  residence,  but  ac 
cording  to  the  way  they  sided  in  the  war  of 
1812-15.  This  distinction  is  hereditary,  and 
transmitted  from  mother  to  son.  Each  shares 
in  the  annuities  or  presents  of  its  own  govern 
ment  only,  but  resides  wherever  upon  the  reserv 
ation  his  interests  or  inclinations  lead  him. 
Transfers  may  be  made  by  consent  of  the  chiefs 
or  trustees,  but  it  is  believed  this  is  not  often 
done. — ED. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  71 

A  portion  of  them,  however,  afterwards 
took  up  arms  and  joined  Gen.  Hamp 
ton's  army  in  1813,  and  were  with 
him  in  the  skirmish  on  Chateaugay 
river. 

It  is  said  that  General  Dearborn 
and  Dr.  Eustis,  Secretary  of  War,  were 
highly  pleased  with  the  management 
of  their  young  native  negotiator,  as  the 
policy  and  humanity  of  the  American 
government  towards  the  unfortunate 
Indians  was  so  well  represented.  Gen. 
Mooers,  in  his  report  of  this  affair  to 
Gen.  Dearborn  and  Gov.  Tompkins, 
was  enthusiastic  in  his  praise  of  young 
Williams. 

At  this  period  of  the  war,  by  the 


72  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

agency  of  General  Dearborn,  as  com- 
mander-in- chief  of  the  Northern  army, 
Gen.  Mooers  of  the  New  York  division, 
and  Gov.  Tompkins  and  Judge  Pliny 
Moore  of  Champlain,  Thomas  Williams, 
the  Iroquois  chief,  was  invited  by  the 
American  government  to  retire  from 
the  British  province,  and  place  himself 
and  family  under  the  protection  of  the 
American  flag,  with  an  assurance  of 
honorable  support ;  and  the  American 
government  solemnly  engaged  to  make 
up  to  him  and  his  family  whatever 
losses  he  might  sustain  in  personal 
property,  and  the  interest  he  might 
enjoy  in  common  with  his  tribe.  With 
these  honorable  offers  and  assurances 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  73 

he  left  the  British  province  in  1813, 
and  warmly  engaged  in  the  American 
cause;  and  through  his  influence,  many 
of  the  British  Indians  became  attached 
to  their  interests.  His  influence  was 
strongly  felt  in  the  invasion  of  New 
York  at  Plattsburgh  in  1819,  by  Sir 
George  Provost,  with  14,000  regulars 
and  700  Indians,  who  refused  at  Cham- 
plain  to  advance  any  farther  w7ith  the 
royal  troops.  They  knew  that  Thomas 
Williams,  their  beloved  war-chief,  with 
his  sons,  w^as  with  the  Americans  at 
Plattsburgh.  This  refusal  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians  to  advance  is  an  estab 
lished  fact,  and  the  cause  was  then 
secret.  While  at  Champlain,  although 
10 


74  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

within  the  American  lines,  they  com 
mitted  no  depredations,  but  conducted 
themselves  respectfully  towards  the  in 
habitants,  particularly  towards  Judge 
Moore  and  Col.  Mix. 

Although  Gen.  Brisbane,  the  com 
mander  of  the  advance  division  of  the 
army,  pretended  to  Silas  Hubbell,  a 
magistrate  of  Champlain,  that  the  In 
dians  were  kept  in  arrear  out  of  human 
ity  ;  yet  in  a  council  of  war  at  La  Cole 
river,  held  by  Sir  George  Provost  and 
the  war-chiefs,  he  was  told  in  strong 
language  of  the  propriety  of  their  re 
maining  in  the  rear  of  the  army,  and 
so  determined  were  they  that  his  ex 
cellency  was  compelled  from  necessity 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  75 

to  submit  to  their  decision.  At  the 
same  place,  on  the  retreat  of  the  royal 
army  after  their  defeat  at  Plattslmrgh, 
the  officers  of  the  Indian  Department 
made  a  strong  effort  to  obtain  volun 
teers  from  among  the  Indians,  by  offer 
ing  large  rewards  to  retake  the  ships 
of  war  captured  by  the  Americans,  by 
the  aid  of  the  few  remaining  gunboats, 
but  this  application  was  rejected  by 
their  allies. 

Thomas  Williams,  after  this  affair, 
says  in  his  address  to  them :  "  Brothers, 
I  have  not  deceived  you  in  the  result 
of  the  late  campaign  on  the  part  of  the 
red  coats.  I  told  you  they  would  not 
succeed,  but  that  a  defeat  would  follow 


76  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

such  an  attempt.  Saranac  (or  Platts- 
burgh)  is  safe,  and  its  strongholds  are 
spangled  with  their  flags,  and  the  eagle 
and  its  stripes  are  floating  in  the  air 
in  all  their  glory.  If  the  British  army 
had  remained  four  days  longer  at  the 
place  it  would  have  been  Burgoyned, 
and  had  I  been  with  them,  I  should 
have  fled  in  the  night,  as  I  did  in  1777 
at  Saratoga,  after  the  last  battle  with 
the  brave  Yankees.  They  beat  the 
English  then,  and  gained  their  inde 
pendence,  and  be  assured  they  will 
beat  them  again  I" 

His  son  John  wras  in  an  honorable 
office  in  the  British  service,  but  soon 
followed  his  father  into  the  United 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  77 

States,  with  several  others  of  the 
Caughnawagas.  This  son  was  a  brave 
and  fearless  volunteer.  On  the  morn 
ing  of  September  5th,  at  Beekmantown, 
he  was  in  the  advanced  rifle  corps, 
which  opened  the  first  fire  upon  the 
enemy,  and  as  it  advanced  he  disputed 
every  inch  of  ground,  until  the  corps 
reached  the  main  force  under  General 
Mooers.  The  general  action  commenced 
by  cannonading  from  the  American 
line,  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  regular 
troops,  under  Major  Wool,  who  main 
tained  this  position  with  great  ob 
stinacy  until  they  wrere  completely 
outflanked  by  the  superior  force  of  the 
enemy ;  and  when  compelled  to  retreat, 


78  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

they  did  so  in  good  order,  disputing 
the  ground  for  five  miles  with  the 
advancing  columns  of  the  enemy.  Col. 
Willington,  leading  the  British  column 
of  Brisbane's  brigade,  was  shot  down 
within  two  miles  of  Plattsburgh,  and 
this  shot  is  supposed  to  have  been 
from  the  weapon  of  John  Williams, 
whose  aim  was  sure  of  its  object.  We 
have  not  room  to  notice  other  feats  of 
valor  performed  by  this  young  man  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States. 

The  other  son,  Colonel  E.  Williams 
(the  Superintendent  General),  when  a 
general  attack  was  made  by  the  enemy 
at  Plattsburgh,  by  land  and  water, 
had  charge  of  one  of  the  moveable 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  79 

batteries,  which  played  furiously  and 
answering  to  one  of  the  enemy's  bat 
teries  on  Ferris's  Point,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  cannonade,  he  was  slightly 
wounded. 

It  must  not  be  omitted  to  mention 
here,  that  in  all  probability,  he  ren 
dered  an  important  service  on  that 
day,  which  saved  from  a  complete 
discomfiture  the  American  force,  and 
the  captivity  of  the  forts  and  their 
defenders.* 

After  the  surrender  of  the  enemy's 
fleet  and  the  recall  of  the  royal  troops 
from  the  battle-field,  a  council  of  war 

*  Historians  will  probably  be  inclined  to  differ 
from  the  author  in  some  of  these  statements.— 
ED. 


80  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

was  called  by  Sir  George  Provost  at  3 
o'clock,  at  which  to  sustain  the  honor 
of  the  army,  and  the  British  flag,  it 
was  determined  to  carry  the  forts  by 
storm,  at  the  dawn  of  the  next  day, 
and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  To 
effect  this,  scaling  ladders  were  pro 
vided  and  eight  thousand  of  the  best 
troops  were  divided  into  three  columns, 
commanded  by  Gens.  Brisbane,  Powers, 
and  De  Kottenburgh,  and  three  thou 
sand  of  the  regulars  and  one  thousand 
of  the  light  corps  were  selected  to 
contend  with  American  militia. 

But  in  the  mean  time  a  coup  de  main 
was  played  upon  Sir  George,  which 
completely  disconcerted  his  former  plan. 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  81 

This  was  planned  by  Col.  E.  Williams, 
the  confidential  secret  agent  of  the 
government,  and  approved  by  Gene 
rals  Macomb  and  Mooers,  who  urged 
most  earnestly  to  have  the  plan  imme 
diately  carried  into  effect ;  and  no  means 
at  the  command  of  these  officers  were 
withheld  to  have  it  consummated.  The 
plan  involved  danger  and  difficulty,  but 
it  was  in  the  hands  of  a  judicious 
and  sagacious  hand.  With  an  eagle's 
eye,  he  foresaw  the  good  that  might  be 
derived  from  it  if  properly  executed, 
and  with  faithful  and  patriotic  co- 
operators  it  was  accomplished.  By 
them,  Sir  George  was  alarmed  at  5 
o'clock,  by  a  report  that  the  Governor 
11 


82  TEIIORAGWANEGEN, 

of  Vermont  was  on  his  march  with  ten 
thousand  men,  and  ready  to  enter  the 
village  of  Missisqui  Bay,  with  the  inten 
tion  to  gain  his  rear ;  that  seven  hundred 
bateaux  (which  were  known  by  him  to 
be  at  that  place)  were  on  their  way 
to  Plattsburgh,  to  take  the  troops,  to 
descend  with  the  fleet  to  Isle  aux  Noix, 
and  that  the  Americans  in  his  front 
were  hourly  expecting  to  be  reinforced 
with  eight  thousand  men  of  the  best 
troops,  while  those  on  the  ground  were 
eager,  in  consequence  of  the  defeat  of 
his  fleet  and  the  retreat  of  his  troops 
from  the  battle  field,  to  follow  him  into 
the  province.  Gen.  Man,  from  Frank 
lin  and  St.  Lawrence  counties,  was 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  83 

reported  as  on  his  march  with  three 
thousand  militia,  to  fall  upon  his  rear 
that  night  or  the  next  day,  at  Cham- 
plain  ;  and  the  whole  American  force  of 
the  northern  frontier  as  in  motion  to 
oppose  him,  rendering  every  hour  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  his  excellency. 
This  unexpected  intelligence  alarmed 
Sir  George,  whose  attacking  troops 
had  been  recalled,  in  consequence  of  the 
loss  of  his  fleet,  and  he  most  reluctantly 
gave  orders  for  the  whole  army  to 
retreat  that  very  night. 

This  coup  de  main,  played  upon  the 
British  commander  by  Col.  E.  Williams, 
saved  the  defences  at  Plattsburgh,  the 
honor  of  the  American  troops,  and  the 


84:  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

flag  of  the  United  States.  It  verified 
the  military  maxim  that  "with  judi 
cious  management  whole  armies  have 
been  taken  or  defeated/'  but  how  far 
this  important  service  is  appreciated 
by  the  American  government  does  not 
appear. 

At  the  time  of  the  event,  and  on  the 
historic  page,  it  has  been  boasted  that 
the  discomfiture  and  retreat  of  the 
enemy,  was  due  to  the  bravery  of  the 
Vermont  and  New  York  volunteers; 
but  every  living  man  who  had  a  know 
ledge  of  the  affair  must  acknowledge 
that  there  is  a  mystery  connected  with 
the  sudden  retreat  of  the  enemy,  who 
with  fourteen  thousand  of  the  best 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  85 

troops,  unaccustomed  to  fear  and  sup 
ported  by  a  formidable  train  of  artil 
lery.  They  had  suffered  so  little  on 
the  llth,  that  his  strength  for  battle 
with  raw  and  undisciplined  militia, 
remained  unabated,  and  some  other 
reasonable  cause  for  his  retreat  must 
be  found,  than  the  heavy  skirmish  of 
that  day.  The  light  corps  of  the  Third 
of  the  Buffs  (as  they  were  called)  were 
only  engaged  and  brought  into  action, 
the  remaining  force  of  ten  thousand 
being  only  in  motion  when  they  were 
recalled. 

In  comparing  the  number  of  militia 
then  in  the  field,  against  the  best  dis 
ciplined  troops  of  England,  they  must 


86  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

have  yielded  on  that  day,  to  such  over 
whelming  force,  and  the  victory  would 
have  been  on  the  side  of  the  enemy. 
General  Brisbane  wanted  only  twenty 
minutes  with  his  three  columns  to 
carry  the  American  works,  but  to  the 
great  mortification  of  this  brave  and 
active  general,  he  was  recalled.  He 
remarked  in  the  council  of  war,  that 
it  was  his  wish  to  retain  the  honor  of  the 
army,  and  if  possible  in  some  measure 
to  retrieve  the  tarnished  fame  of  the 
fleet,  by  attacking  or  carrying  the 
American  works,  which  he  justly  re 
marked  were  in  an  unfinished  con 
dition,  and  that  in  twenty  minutes  all 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  87 

might  be  in  the  hands  of  his  majesty's 
troops ! 

The  author  or  planner  was  too 
modest  to  make  it  known  as  a  pretext 
to  raise  himself  in  the  estimation  of 
the  government.  It  is  stated  that  this 
important  affair  had  been  kept  down 
by  Generals  Macomb  and  Mooers,  lest 
their  own  fame  in  the  victory  of  Platts- 
burgh  should  be  lessened  in  the  public 
view.  But  the  American  government  is 
too  magnanimous  to  forget  those  who 
have  rendered  her  valuable  and  import 
ant  services  like  this !  By  this  j  udicious 
measure,  her  honor  was  sustained, 
her  troops,  writh  immense  quantities  of 
property,  were  saved,  and  the  whole 


88  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

northern  frontier  was  relieved  from  a 
troublesome  enemy. 

But  to  return  to  the  biography  of 
Thomas  Williams.  In  December,  1815, 
he  repaired  to  Albany,  accompanied 
by  his  son,  Col.  E.  Williams,  to  consult 
with  Gov.  Tompkins  and  Lieut.  Gov. 
Tayler,  on  the  propriety  of  his  remind 
ing  the  government  of  their  engage 
ments  with  him.  He  was  advised  to 
proceed  to  Washington  and  present  his 
claims.  With  letters  from  these  two 
officers,  and  from  military  officers  at 
that  place,  and  with  aid  of  state  funds, 
he  proceeded  to  the  capital  of  the  union, 
where  he  was  received  with  great 
cordiality  by  the  president,  and  other 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  89 

officers  of  the  executive  departments, 
particularly  by  Mr.  Dallas  of  the  state 
department,  and  Mr.  Crawford,  secre 
tary  of  war.  For  want  of  suitable 
papers  conformable  to  the  laws,  it  was 
recommended  to  him  to  procure  them, 
and  the  secretary  of  wTar  was  engaged 
to  present  them  to  congress ;  but  they 
were  mislaid,  and  the  old  and  patriotic 
chief  suffered  much  from  the  infidelity 
of  the  government  towards  him.  He 
died  without  the  compensation  pro 
mised,  and  his  aged  widow  is  now  an 
applicant  for  relief  on  his  account.* 

*  The  widow  of  Thomas  Williams  was,  in 
1852,  residing  on  the  St.  Regis  reservation, 
about  eight  miles  from  the  village,  and  although 
over  ninety  years  of  age,  walked  regularly  to 

12 


90  TEHORAGWANEGEN, 

Thomas  Williams,  having  served  his 
own  people,  the  British  and  American 
governments,  died  in  his  native  village, 
August  16,  1849.  In  person  he  was 
above  the  common  size,  with  a  coun 
tenance  manly  and  speaking  with  in 
telligence.  In  his  politics  he  was  a 
strenuous  republican,  and  by  attaching 
himself  to  the  American  cause,  in  the 
war  of  1812,  he  lost  the  graces  of  the 
British  government  in  the  Canadas* 
The  functionaries  in  the  Indian  depart- 

clmrcli,  with  no  other  aid  but  a  staff.  She 
was  apparently  a  full  blooded  Indian,  tall  and 
slender,  but  little  bowed  with  age,  and  still 
able  to  attend  to  her  domestic  duties.  She  was 
a  devout  Catholic,  and  spoke  no  language  but 
Mohawk.  She  has  since  died. — ED, 


ALIAS    THOMAS    WILLIAMS.  91 

ment  ceased   not  to  trouble  him  on 

that   account.     His   memory  will  be 
cherished  by  his  American  friends. 


7  DAY  USE 

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